Goose & Gander slated for the old Martini House, with chef Kelly McCown at the helm

As the new restaurant in the former Martini House space continues to move forward to an anticipated spring opening, more details are coming out. Earlier this year, Scoop reported that restaurateur Andrew Florsheim struck a deal with the landlord to take over the St. Helena restaurant space that once housed the celebrated trio of Pat Kuleto, Todd Humphries and Richard Miyashiro.

Florsheim confirms that the new name will be Goose & Gander, and as reported by the Sacramento Bee, Kelly McCown will be the chef. For the last 2+ years, McCown has been the chef at Willie Brown-endorsed Ella in Sacramento. The move is also a homecoming of sorts for him — a few years before his Sacramento stint, he was the opening chef de cuisine at Martini House under Humphries.

The Goose & Gander concept will be along the gastropub lines, in the sense that it will be a pub in its casual, approachable nature, but still very much about the food.

“The fact that Kelly already has strong relationships with the best local farmers, ranchers, fisherman, and artisans, is a big advantage for us,” adds Florsheim.

The name obviously comes from the saying “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” However, that’s a modernized version. The maxim stems from the 1600s (or thereabouts), when it was more along the lines of “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.” In other words, there’s no need to over-complicate things and think too much while cooking — just make one good sauce and use it for the goose and the gander.

Regarding the interior redesign of the well-known space. Though the upstairs will change quite a bit, Florsheim says that they’re not going to mess with some of the beauty that Kuleto put in place; he loves the 1930s hunting lodge vibe. They’re adding their own touches, with the goal of making it cozier and livelier.